Are Northwest drivers as courteous as they think they
are?

SEATTLE--Jan. 23, 2014: Around here, the notion of "Northwest Nice"
– our region's shared practice of being polite, if not a tad passive
– encompasses an endless number of daily interactions, including our
driving habits. But according to the latest poll from PEMCO Insurance,
drivers' high opinion of their own politeness may contrast with what
actually plays out on the roads.

The Seattle-based insurer found that a majority of drivers (80 percent)
say they witness at least three or four aggressive acts by others each
month, and about one-third (37 percent) say they see as many as 10
aggressive acts per month, including rude gestures, erratic moves or being
cut off in traffic.

In fact, when it comes to evaluating fellow drivers' basic etiquette,
the "other guy" doesn't fair very well. Drivers say they see almost
one-third of other drivers (30 percent) only occasionally or even rarely
use their turn signals, according to the PEMCO Insurance Northwest
Poll.

To make matters worse, more than half of drivers (58 percent) say that
other drivers wait until the last second to merge into traffic when a lane
ends. Meanwhile, 90 percent say they personally prefer to merge as soon as
possible.

"Our data shows a disconnect between how we evaluate ourselves and other
drivers, and what we actually see in practice on the roads," said Jon
Osterberg, PEMCO Insurance spokesperson. "While overall trends suggest
we're getting more polite on the roadways, drivers seem quick to point
fingers at the other guy's aggressiveness."

Still, PEMCO's Polite Driving Index, an annual survey that measures
total acts of politeness and aggression reported by drivers in Washington
and Portland, Ore., is five points higher in Washington – meaning
more polite – than PEMCO's previous index, while Portland's score
remains unchanged. From 2012 to 2013, Washington's politeness jumped from
139 points to 144 points on the index while Portland has held steady at
146.

On the latest index, Washington and Portland drivers self-reported about
nine polite driving acts per month, and more than half of Northwest drivers
(58 percent) say they're courteous at least five times. When put into
practice on the road, for example, a full 90 percent of females say they
always use their turn signal.

With so many Northwest drivers claiming to be polite, who are the
drivers responsible for the aggressive acts reported in the poll?

According to the poll, drivers under age 35 engage in more aggressive
acts than their older counterparts. These younger drivers admit to engaging
in more than two aggressive acts per month, while older drivers say they're
aggressive just about once per month. Across all age groups, male drivers
say they engage in almost twice as many aggressive acts as women.

Drivers under 55 years say they witness more aggression on the road. The
55 and younger cohort says they see 10.4 aggressive acts per month, while
the drivers over 55 report just 6.7 of those same actions from other
drivers.

Drivers under age 55 are also among the few who admit to merging at the
last possible second when they know a lane is ending. In both Washington
and Portland, about 13 percent of those under 55 said they waited to merge,
while less than 3 percent of those 55 and older said the same.

To learn more about the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll and to view a
summary of the results, visit Pemco Poll, where the public
is invited to participate in an informal version of the poll and see how
their own responses compare with those collected by FBK Research of Seattle
in November 2013.